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In this Vorkosigan short story, which follows Ethan of Athos chronologically, Miles takes charge again, heading to Jackson’s Whole for the dual purpose of meeting a new man in power there (Baron Fell) and acquiring a geneticist for a client of the Dendarii Mercs. Things rapidly fall apart, and Admiral Naismith must avoid falling into the wrong hands, killing an innocent woman, and torture by several parties. I found this story much more in the spirit of the Vorkosigan series than Ethan of Athos. Miles is present and active, and several other recurring characters are introduced (it certainly helps explain Mirror Dance, which I read before this one). I usually…

This story, told first person from the perspective of a sex addict (Victor Mancini), tells of Victor’s struggles to gain an identity, to deal with his mother, and to understand his role in the world (or lack of). Victor pays for his sick mother’s $3000-a-month care by working for $6/h at a historical theme park and choking nightly in restaurants, after which his saviors send him money for whatever problems he tells them he has (rent, electricity, etc.). In the jacket blurb for this book, Victor is called an “anti-hero for our deranging times”; I think that is a perfect description. He’s a med school drop-out, a bum, a sex…

This installment of the Vorkosigan Saga features a young doctor from the all-male, generally homosexual planet of Athos who must acquire a new set of ovaries for the continuation of life on Athos. The problem is, he must interact with the morally inferior Galactics, and in particular, women. Ethan joins with Admiral Naismith’s agent Elli Quinn to uncover a plot that threatens the stability and longevity of the Athosians. This wasn’t a bad book. It wasn’t particularly great either, but it wasn’t bad. Miles is non-existant except as a source of inspiration for Quinn, and no other typical Vorkosigan characters are present. It lacks the energy of the other Vorkosigan…

This novel, now a movie, tells of two young men, one of which starts a destructive club (Fight Club) with the intent to wake up the world and change it, and the other who must deal with his insomnia, his conscience, and a desire to hit bottom. I fell in love with this book on the second page. It’s that simple. Palahniuk’s writing style and choice of content grabbed me, and to be perfectly truthful, haven’t let go of me yet, although I am done with the book. This book appealed to me in the base way Fight Club appealed to the men in the book. Although I don’t believe…

This is the autobiography of a black man born in 1908 in the South. The story goes through his days as a Communist in the mid-1930s and deals with his changing viewpoints on the events in his life. The story is punctuated with reflective analyses by Wright on his own attitudes, the attitudes of the people around him, and his views on the psychology involved in the events of his life. I found the first part (literally, Part I) this book extremely fascinating, and the majority of Part II to be fairly dull, but not horrible by any means. Wright’s younger days provide insight into the way of life for…